About Us SASD House Construction
The Sheboygan Area School District started its house construction program with North and South High Schools in 1998 and over 535 students have participated in the construction of these houses. To date, all of our finished houses have been sold (we are in the process of listing the current project house) through the program with proceeds going towards scholarships, tools and equipment and the purchasing more land. Over 1,775 students have had direct involvement with the house construction program, i.e. construction, architecture, interior designing, and botany. The community gains a well designed home that fits the style of the surrounding homes while students gain first hand experience and knowledge of home building.
Each project starts out in the drafting rooms of North and South High Schools where students are competing to have their drawings picked as the winner. Each year a committee sits down to review the drawings from each school and picks the top 3 drawings. The top three winners of this competition receive a cash award and luncheon recognition sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Greater Sheboygan. The committee that decides the winner is made up of contractors, architects, community members and various other business members related to the construction trades. Each year the competition grows tougher and tougher and the students design some pretty amazing houses, with the winner having the privilege of seeing their house being built the following year.
Two groups of students; one from North and the other from South meet daily to work on the house under the supervision of their instructor Mr. Grunewald. The hands-on instruction that these students receive will carry with them throughout their lives. Students are learning how to build a house while discovering problem-solving skills and employability skills. Students are broken down into crews of 3-4 students and work together each day to solve problems together. Each crew is responsible for completing their daily tasks with limited help from the instructor. Students learn quickly how to work as a group and problem solve.
To stress the importance of energy conservation we build Focus on Energy New Homes that meet strict state guidelines. Green building is growing in popularity and we have been doing this for many years now and try certifiy our homes with the Wisconsin Green Built Home program. Students leave the program with an understanding of why energy conservation is critical right now and why so many contractors are building energy efficient homes.
Our program has also benefited from the support and contributions of so many people and businesses in Sheboygan County. This program offers students an education outside of the realm of the textbook and creates skills they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.